I have recently been Dx with Hypothyroidism...Hashimotos...
My levels are 129.7, normal range is 0.270 to 4.2.
I started taking125 mcg synthroid about two weeks ago...
I am so completely exhausted and finding it very hard to get thru the work week.
I was wondering if it is reasonable to go on short term disability as my job is very stressful and demanding. I feel I need time to take care of myself.
I went on a gluten free diet when I was diagnosed with Hashi's 5 years after being dxd hypo. My antibodies reduced to below the range and slowly I improved. Do check blood levels of ferritin, folate, iron, Vit B12 and Vit D. If doc won't do them get a finger prick test from Blue Horizon and then post the results on here for further comment. What are your thyroid levels?
A TSH of 129.7 is, as you have realised, extremely high. You must feel dreadful. Some people would say you shouldn't be driving for instance, because your reaction times may be impaired. It depends what you do at work. You might be able to negotiate part time work or working from home until you recover, which may take months. If you are really struggling you might succeed in getting long term sick pay for a while, but I think that if you have a career worth saving, and you want to be able to apply for other jobs or promotion at any time in the future you need to think about how things will look on your CV or work record. I know this is taking the long term view, and others will come on here and say you must go home and rest until you feel better, but I think this is a decision only you can make. Part of the problem is that thyroid sufferers don't look ill, and their principle symptom is tiredness, so HR people can be very unsympathetic ("we all feel tired"). I hope your colleagues aren't like that.
One thing doctors are not very aware of is that thyroid problems tend to deplete your body of vitamins and iron. Vitamins B12 and D are usually low, and ferritin too. Anecdotally people with thyroid problems need these to be at least half way up the normal range for your Levothyroxine to take full effect. Have you been told to take your meds on an empty stomach, 2 hours away from food or drink (apart from water).
You are looking for your TSH level to come down to around 1. The normal healthy population have a TSH of between 0.5 and 1.5. When you have your blood tests have them done first thing on the morning, without having taken Thyroxine for 24 hours beforehand. This avoids any transient spikes in the hormone levels in your bloodstream and is less likely to mean you end up under-medicated. Doctors much prefer to leave you under medicated rather than over medicated, and blame any remaining symptoms on other things (CFS, ME, menopause, depression etc).
This forum is brilliant, and you should read up as much as you have time for. If Levothyroxine doesn't suit you, or you still feel ill when your blood results say you are well, there is such a lot of good advice on nutrition, alternative thyroid treatments and suchlike here. There is also a lot of stuff that works for some individuals and not for others of course.
Good Luck.
You may see some symptoms go quick ,others linger and it was 12 months before I felt just about OK .My TSH was 102.
You have started on a higher dose than usual as it takes time for the body to adjust and it may be a factor in how you feel at present. It was a while before I reached 125 mcg and long after that before I improved.
You may need to go sick for a while as your judgement may well be impaired.
take sick leave u need to concentrate on getting your self better first and foremost. Ultimately in the long run u will be more productive once your health has had chance to start improving and feel more positive and can see the light at the end of the long tunnel. You will feel better for taking that time out in the long run. Good luck 🍀 😊
You need to tell us which test says your "levels" are 129.7. Is this TSH?
Extinguishing your Hashi's is important to your future health. Unfortunately the average GP does not know how to treat it, other than to prescribe T4. I would suggest you look up Dr. Tom O'Bryan's Youtube video on "The Autoimmune Fix". Chances are that you will have to clean up your diet to decrease your autoimmunity.
My experience was that employers are unsympathetic to medical issues they have no experience with. If you want disability, you will have to educate your employer about Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroiditis, and the effects of hypothyroidism on your mental and physical health. You might want to refer to the hypothyroidmom.com post that explains hypothyroidism can cause over 300 symptoms ... of which brain-fog is the one symptom that most affects your ability to function at work.
My TSH was 177.7 when I was diagnosed almost 10 years ago. I knew nothing about the condition as was not explained anything but just put on lethrothyroxine. I had also just split from my husband a month before as he was having an affair and left me so it was already a very difficult time in my life. I work in an infant school full time and Tesco in the evening and found that keeping busy actually helps. Even now when I'm on holiday I feel more tired than I do when I'm very busy. I'm not saying it's easy but if I sit around moping it makes me feel worse. I also have a severe bowel condition and had major surgery last year to remove 1/3 of it. I am gluten, dairy and soya free for my bowel but this is also meant to help with the thyroid too. Best of luck with whatever you decide and hope you feel better soon x
PMS much worse recently
Recently Diagnosed
Recently diagnosed subclinical hypothyroidism
Recently diagnosed
